


always beside me

by WattStalf



Series: Commissions [64]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Bondage, Cunnilingus, Dom/sub, F/M, Feelings Realization, Loss of Virginity, Love Confessions, Master/Servant, Nipple Play, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Role Reversal, Semi Slow Burn, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Warnings May Change, commission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:07:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22041550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WattStalf/pseuds/WattStalf
Summary: After the war is over, Hubert's war begins, and with his former professor at his side, he should be unstoppable. But with his feelings for her growing heavy on his mind, it is inevitable that major changes will occur...
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Hubert von Vestra
Series: Commissions [64]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1325462
Comments: 7
Kudos: 196





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> May change the summary if I come up with something better. Anyway, this is an ongoing comm, will definitely earn the E-rating in future chapters, but for now, no fuckin' yet or anything.  
> I hope you enjoy!

Now that their war with the church has come to an end, now that Edelgard has succeeded in reuniting Fodlan under the banner of the empire and can begin working towards her loftier ambitions, Hubert has his own concerns to worry about.

For far too long, those who slither in the dark have kept their sights on Edelgard, using her as a puppet for their own ambitions, and he has only been able to stand at her side, watching her helplessly as she had no choice other than to bend to their whims, forming her own ideals and her own plans despite that pressure, until she was able to use them to achieve her own goals, just as they used her. It would not stay this way forever, she promised Hubert, and he always made the same promise in return.

When she had the power she needed, when she was done using them and needed nothing more from them, when she no longer had reason to do their horrible bidding and when the pain they inflicted was no longer a necessary sacrifice, then, she could work on eliminating them entirely, until her ambitions were all that remained.

However, ruling the continent is not something she can afford to slack off on. She has an entirely new system of government to establish as she works on ridding the world of nobility and eliminating the importance of Crests, and building everything up so that, eventually, she can step down and someone more capable can take her place. With all of that to worry about, there is no time for her to worry about the devils at her back, much less to hunt them out and make sure that they can never do her, or anyone else, any more harm. But that is what Hubert is there for; after dedicating his life to serving her, not due to the traditions of his family but due to his respect for her as a friend and a ruler, he knows that there is no job he is better suited for.

Politics, he can leave to his former classmates, who made the decision to remain loyal to her even when it meant forsaking their families and renouncing their titles. He has never had the charisma necessary to handle politics, but then, House Vestra was never intended to serve on the political side of things. Even with the system of nobility steadily becoming a thing of the past, he knows what his house is good for, and he knows how to use them to achieve his goals. Even in his school days, even younger than that, he was orchestrating assassinations and executions, sniffing out threats to Edelgard, and ensuring that everything went according to her plans.

Now, he is ready to use those connections to search for those who have done her the most harm, hiding in the shadows and only emerging when they needed something from her. They are an elusive enemy, but not impossible to find, because, during the war, they had to show themselves too much. And by showing their hand too much, Hubert knows exactly what he has to do, and where his battle will begin.

The surprising part of all of this is that he will not be doing this alone.

The assistance from his house and his connections are one thing, but he never intended to bring any outsiders into this. Then again, can he really call their former professor an outsider, when she has had more insight than any of their classmates? Edelgard took a shine to Byleth before they knew they could trust her, drawn to her because she understood similarities that went beyond what the eye could see, and no matter how Hubert tried to persuade her from trusting the professor, she did not listen.

In the end, Byleth became one of their most valuable allies, exposed to secrets that no one else had the privilege of learning, and the three of them became inseparable as even Hubert learned to trust her. Despite her oddities and distant nature, despite all the things about her that initially left him certain that she would betray him, Byleth proved herself again and again, until he found himself opening up to her like it was nothing, in ways that he never thought he could open up to another.

They’re responsible for the death of her father, and yet, she never blamed Edelgard for her connections to them, and never acted out after taking Edelgard’s side, accepting that that meant siding with them, in the end. Hubert couldn’t help himself then, explaining the situation more in-depth to her, discouraging her from trying to take revenge, but slowly disclosing to her the truth of his intentions.

He should have known that she would want to assist him when that time came, and perhaps that is why he told her in the first place. Despite himself, he came to trust her so much that he decided she would be a valuable ally on his solitary mission, and when the time came, she was ready to assist him, in whatever way possible.

“So, you’ve come for your vengeance,” he says, and she shakes her head.

“Not just vengeance,” she replies. “I’m doing this for her just as much as I’m doing this for me.”

When she says things like that, it isn’t hard to understand how she was able to get him to trust her so easily. Despite entirely different upbringings, despite meeting Edelgard under different circumstances, and despite the cold and threatening way he treated her when they met, they are, at their core, the same in so many ways. Despite all the factors that should imply otherwise, he can’t shake the feeling that Byleth is one of the only people who truly understands him, and slowly, he is coming to understand her as well.

~X~

After spending years investigating in secret and gathering information to determine their primary location and all of their weak points, he feels close to a breakthrough. He has determined the rough location of wherever they are hiding, and has spies going to and from the area at any given moment, reporting him more and more information as they begin to sniff the enemy out.

Byleth has offered to be one of those spies a few times, but every time, Hubert turns down her offer. He does not want her out in the field just to gather information, not only because there is still much she can do at Edelgard’s side, but because he wants her where he can easily find her once he is ready to go into the fray.

In terms of his allies, Byleth is easily the best one, and even if she would perhaps be one of the best spies he could have out there, at the end of the day, she is better suited for what he wants to do. She was raised a mercenary, and has the heart of an assassin, the same heart that he knows all too well. For his family line, being raised as a noble who takes on the role of a servant is to be raised as an assassin, and so he can recognize these traits easily in another, and thus, he knows Byleth’s worth in that regard. He will not waste her on any other task, no matter how good she may be at all of them, because he cannot afford to stretch her too thin, or have her somewhere else and out of reach at the most crucial moment.

She is left to wait patiently for her vengeance, but she has already waited so long, and now claims that this is more than just vengeance to her. He remembers when lead the class out to avenge her father years and years ago, the day she nearly disappeared and came back with powers that even she didn’t understand. It is hard to believe that almost immediately after that, she chose to swear these powers to Edelgard, even knowing that Edelgard was allied with those that she hated the most. Byleth is so very peculiar, but she chose to dedicate her life to the cause that matters the most, and Hubert could no longer stop himself from opening up to her.

That power is gone now, but she is still formidable, her training and skill that landed her a last minute position at the old monastery still there, not faded a bit. She is strong and she is admirable, perhaps the most skilled soldier that Hubert has ever met, and now, an assassin of his caliber at his side, sharing in his mission. In the time that they spend waiting for their chance, in the time that they spend preparing and that he spends reflecting on how things have changed between the two of them, Hubert becomes more and more aware of what has actually happened.

His heart is not something that he ever planned to give to anyone, much less without him realizing that it happened to begin with. He loves Edelgard, but not in the way that he would ever pursue her and not in the way that he thinks couples love each other. Others have accused him of such a thing, always left confused when he tried to explain the importance of their bond and how his feelings for her were not something that could be described as romantic love.

But he never planned on loving anyone else, in any other way, never planned on falling in love without warning, and without any chance of stopping it. He knows that Byleth would be one of the best of his spies because her ability to sneak is uncanny. After all, he never would have counted on her finding his way into his heart without him ever noticing.

Hubert is in love with his former professor, something that he realizes only now that he has taken the time to reflect on their relationship. He doesn’t know when he first fell for her, if it was building even before he decided to trust her and only fully occurred when she gave up everything for their cause, or if it happened after her disappearance, when she finally returned to them. Did he fall in love with her even later after that? Did he love her before he knew a single thing about her? He doesn’t have the slightest bit of experience in the matter, so it’s impossible for him to tell.

All he knows is that he doesn’t know a thing about it. He doesn’t know what he should do, or if he should do anything at all. Right now is obviously not the time, but when everything is said and done, when their war is  _ truly _ over, should he do something about this? And if he does, what, exactly, should he do? This doesn’t seem like something he can ask for advice on, though he knows some of his former classmates would be tripping over themselves to get all the information if they knew that he had truly fallen in love with someone.

For now, Hubert will have to keep it to himself, and perhaps even after that. Some of his classmates have already begun settling down, with some getting engaged just as soon as the war ended, but he has a hard time imagining something like that for himself. He has no ring to offer her, and no idea how to ask someone to marry him, or what steps he should take before that. He doesn’t even know how to address his feelings, or what time is appropriate, or what he is supposed to do after the fact, should she reciprocate.

Really, he doesn’t even know if she  _ would  _ reciprocate, or if she would think it was strange that the man who once threatened to kill her if she got in his way would, a few years later, proclaim his love for her. For all he knows, she only tolerates him because of his closeness to Edelgard and because, through him, she can accomplish one of her major goals.

But nothing will be accomplished through thinking about his perplexing feelings over and over again, not when things are finally reaching their climax. Right now, they have their true battle to prepare for, and so he must put any thoughts he has regarding Byleth to the side, as he informs her of the next stage of his plans.


	2. Chapter 2

The two of them are deep in an underground city when it happens.

Things have gone fairly well for them so far, as they’ve managed to slip into the stronghold of the enemy, launching their sneak attack quickly and quietly. The only plan for this mission is to take out as many of them as they can before they are noticed, disappearing as soon as things start to shift out of their favor, or, if they’re lucky, taking down some of their major figures, rendering this mysterious group nearly useless, and all the easier to take down in the future.

That’s the plan, and if they are forced to retreat today, they will cover their tracks well enough that they will be able to return and to strike them down again. The team that Hubert leads is perfect for this work, and Byleth remains at his side throughout, the two of them proving to be unstoppable, until they aren’t. He only lets his guard down for a split second, but it’s long enough to get himself hurt, long enough for the man attacking the two of them to lock the three of them into the room they’re in, long enough to get them trapped.

Byleth reacts quickly, her instincts taking over as she draws her blade, killing their assailant nearly instantly, but it is only as he falls down to the ground that she realizes that this has left them trapped. Hubert collapses, clutching the wound at his side and groaning, and she is at his side in an instant, asking him if he’s alright.

“I’ll...I’ll be fine,” he says, hoping that she can’t detect the strain in his voice. He has definitely been in better shape before, but there’s not much that can be done about that now. “We’ll have to hope one of the others comes through this way, or else...well, I could probably blast through with magic, but I…” He can’t suppress a cough, and Byleth moves closer to him.

“You need to get your strength back up before you can do anything like that,” she replies. “Here, let me…” She places a hand to his wound and it glows, healing magic spreading to him. Though it isn’t her primary focus, she made sure to learn the basics of healing when she was still their professor, wanting to be able to aid her students at any time. It isn’t much, but it’s enough right now to stop the bleeding, to close the wound up enough that it isn’t a major concern.

Still, Hubert is hurt and exhausted, and more than that, he is frustrated and humiliated. Things were going so well, and then he had to make a stupid mistake, had to let his guard down long enough to mess everything up. Now, the two of them are trapped with the corpse of one of their enemies, and Byleth is forced to look after him, when he is supposed to be leading her and assisting her with her revenge. He could not imagine a worse position to be in, particularly with the woman he’s somehow fallen in love with, and as she sits down, forcing him to lay his head in her lap so that he can rest, he feels like he might die of shame.

Byleth doesn’t seem to see any problem with it, though, but he doesn’t imagine why she would. To her, this must be perfectly natural, and nothing worth getting excited over. Perhaps if she returned his feelings, she might feel a little odd being so close, but since they are completely one-sided, there’s no need for that. This is hardly the time to let himself feel disappointed about such things, hardly the time to even  _ think _ about that, but as he closes his eyes to avoid looking up at her, he finds that he can’t think of anything else.

“This is quite the mess I’ve gotten us into,” he finally says, to break the silence and to get himself out of his own thoughts for a while. “I’ll rest as best as I can, but if no one comes for us, I should be able to get us out of here. I just might...depend on you a bit to cover me until we can fully escape.”

“You can depend on me to cover you either way,” she says. “At least, you should be able to, but if anyone got us into this mess...well, I should have seen that attack coming. I should have been quicker to react, before you got hurt.”

“You don’t have to blame yourself,” Hubert says, shaking his head as he opens his eyes. He looks up at Byleth, her face upside down as she looks down at him, and he starts to think that maybe this position isn’t so bad. No matter how humiliating the situation may be, he thinks that, if this is the closest he is going to get to her, then he might as well enjoy it while it lasts.

“I would have liked to have been able to protect you,” is all she says, which is typical of her. As a teacher, she always put the lives of her students first, the one side to her that did not suit her cold upbringing as a mercenary. It doesn’t mean anything for her to say something like that to him specifically, as she would have done it for any of his former classmates, anyone she considered an ally.

“I don’t need you protecting me, professor.” He doesn’t intend for it to sound cold, but he regrets his tone as soon as he speaks, and the way he flippantly uses her old title. Though her face doesn’t show any sign of hurt, her expression rarely shows what she is truly thinking. Byleth has always been impossible to read, and even more so in moments where he most wants to be able to read her.

When she finally speaks, she says, “You may not need it, but I still want to be able to protect you. That’s never going to change, Hubert.”

“You always were protective of your students,” he says dismissively, wanting to drop the topic entirely now.

“It’s different with you. You should know that by now. After all, you aren’t my student anymore, are you?”

“That’s right, I’m supposed to be leading you right now. Yet here I am, lying on the ground and apparently needing you to protect me.”

“You’re very important to me. That’s what I’m trying to say.” Byleth sighs. “It’s different from how I see your old classmates, and different even from how I see Edelgard. I thought by now you understood that our connection was something else.”

He curses the excitement that he feels to hear her say something like that. There was a time when he never would have assumed such things, and never would have hoped for such things, but now he finds himself wishing for too much, every time they speak. He’s no longer delirious from his wound, just tired, so he has no excuse for this.

“We’re partners, of course,” he finally says, when he can think of nothing else to say. Byleth shakes her head, and he wonders, then, what she means by all of this.

“Hubert...this is a really bad time for this.” She sighs, looking away before looking back down at him. “You’re not even hurt that bad, are you?”

“I already told you that I’m going to be just fine.” He doesn’t see what that has to do with anything right now.

“Exactly, but I still panicked. If anything happened to you...Hubert, I…” She sighs again. “I’m really not good at things like this, I’ve never...what are you planning to do when all of this is over?”

Assuming that she means their current mission, he says, “I haven’t thought much past that, but I suppose the answer is obvious. Her Majesty will always need some work from me, so I’ll always serve in whatever way that I can. I assumed that you would be doing the same, but perhaps that’s not the case?”

“No, I’ll continue to serve the empire, same as I always have. That’s been the plan ever since I made my choice years and years ago,” she replies. “But that isn’t what I was talking about. There are things that you can...well, what I’m trying to say is...what are your plans beyond that?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean,” he says, and that’s true. He doesn’t have any other plans, at least none that he can think of, and couldn’t imagine what sort of plans she would have beyond that.

“I told you I’m not good at this, didn’t I? Hubert, I...do you have any plans for  _ your _ future? Outside of your service to Edelgard, beyond your loyalty to the empire. Personal plans, for yourself?”

Could she really be talking about his plans for marriage right now? She hardly seems like the type to ask about those matters at all, and now doesn’t seem like the time for that sort of discussion, but more than that, asking about such a thing carries implications, and those implications have already caused him to get his hopes up again. “I can’t say that I do,” he finally replies. “And what about you?”

“I haven’t ever spent much time thinking about that sort of thing. It never really occurred to me, and even when it did, I wasn’t sure if that was the sort of life someone like me could live. But recently, I’ve…” She trails off, leaving Hubert to prompt her to continue.

“You’ve?”

“I catch myself wondering if marriage could be a part of my future,” she admits. “Or, at least, if it’s not too wild an assumption to think that I could have a relationship with someone, especially if they were more...like me.”

Hubert pauses for a moment, before he says anything to give himself away before he knows for sure what she is trying to say to him. “Perhaps so. I never considered anything beyond my position, and certainly never considered the idea of letting somebody else into my life in any way, but...things do change, I suppose.”

“You would be happy with someone who shared in your goal, wouldn’t you? Like I said, I think it would be possible if I found someone like me, so do you think that would be the same for you?” she asks.

Now, he is almost certain that she is doing this on purpose. She isn’t just trying to get a feel for his taste in women or innocently asking about what he wants to do with his life; Byleth has never been the type to make idle smalltalk, and even if she were just trying to pass the time, she wouldn’t waste her breath on that. She would be discussing strategies for escape, if anything. No, this goes beyond that, and no matter how he tells himself not to get his hopes up, he also doesn’t think that this is something that he can so easily misinterpret.

He sits up now, so that he can properly face her as he says, “If you must know, there’s actually someone who caught my eye, against my better judgment. I was rather wary of them at first, but lately, I do think they are someone I could share my life with. At the very least, I think we are similar enough to reach an understanding.”

They maintain eye contact as she says, without a hint of emotion to read into in her voice, “Do I know this person?”

Hubert chuckles. “Why are you suddenly so interested, professor?”

“Why do you only call me professor when you’re deflecting?” she replies, which only causes him to chuckle again.

“If you’re so good at reading me,” he says, “then I would think you already know who it is that I’ve fallen in love with.”

“I would rather hear you say it yourself, then try to take guesses,” Byleth replies. They could go on like this forever if they wanted to, with neither of them confessing, with both of them turning it around on the other with every word. And as tempting as it is to try and turn it around on her again, to try and see if he could get her to crack and confess first, Hubert decides against that.

Hubert decides that he is simply going to have to fess up now, to avoid this going on for too long. Though they  _ are _ killing time right now, there is no way to no when help might arrive or when more of their enemies might find them, so wasting that time doesn’t seem like a good idea.

“Well, Byleth, I always thought it was perfectly obvious that I’ve fallen in love with you.”

Naturally, and as if on cue, that is the exact moment one of the squads under his command discovers them, thus putting  _ that _ conversation on hold for a while.


	3. Chapter 3

Byleth is never easy to read, but in the split second before they are interrupted, he sees her eyes widen a bit, and he replays that expression over and over again in his head, even when he can’t really afford to allow himself distraction. After everything that they discussed, he supposes it wouldn’t be too off-base to assume that she returns his feelings, and that she was gearing up to confess to him as well, but without a clear cut answer, he can’t actually be satisfied. Her expression could have been one of genuine surprise, after all, even if he is fairly certain that, by the end of it all, he really  _ had _ made it too obvious.

Whatever the case, despite their minor setback, the remainder of their mission is very successful, though he knows things will only get more difficult from here. They were able to eliminate a large number of them, but now their plans are known, and they will have to be on guard, prepared to fight at any moment. He will have smaller squads in and out nearly constantly, working to at least remove the bulk of their more formidable fighters and weapons. After all, though they have managed some strong protection for Enbarr, they cannot protect the entirety of the continent at once, and must be prepared for any sort of strike.

Things will tip in their favor after this, however, and that is all the success that Hubert could really ask for. While he is dedicating his effort to taking them out, there are researchers working to undo all that they have done, and soon enough, Edelgard’s nightmare will finally be over. Today has been an important day, and something that might merit celebration, if he were the celebrating type.

But right now, all he can think about is the way he was left hanging, the way he confessed to Byleth after telling himself that he might never, the way her expression shifted, just a little bit, and the way she said so many things leading up to that to imply that maybe,  _ perhaps _ , she loved him as well. He hopes that she will want to talk to him when they return, even if it is just to reject him. As long as she says something to him, he will be content with that, because he isn’t sure how he will handle her avoiding the subject, and maybe even him, entirely.

As it turns out, he doesn’t have anything to worry about on that front. Though they’re both exhausted by the time they return, Byleth invites him to her room nonetheless, telling him that they have a lot they still need to discuss about today’s mission. She phrases it like that because they are not alone, and it already looks strange for him to be going to her room at this hour. At the very least, if she frames it as relaying important information, rather than responding to his love confession, then it doesn’t look nearly as suspicious.

Hubert braces himself, though he isn’t sure what he’s bracing himself for. If she rejects him, he should be prepared for that, and if she returns his confession...come to think of it, he is less prepared for that. After all, he didn’t expect it until today, when she started to hint at her feelings, and he has no experience in that department, and had no plans to gain any experience. He has never known how to handle himself where other people are involved, and this is it’s own matter entirely.

“Hubert,” she says, as soon as they are alone. “Hubert, did you mean what you said to me? You know, when…”

“When I told you that I love you?” Somehow, he is able to appear just as calm as always, though his increased pulse suggests otherwise. “I did. I have loved you for some time now, though I’m not sure exactly how long. It crept up on me, I think, but you’re rather good at things like that, so it’s no surprise.”

“I don’t know the first thing about love,” she starts, something that he can relate to all too well. “That was never a big part of my upbringing. And you and I didn’t exactly get off to the best start, but still...there was always something about you that I didn’t understand. I didn’t mind our rocky relationship, for one thing, because I simply enjoyed being around you. It took me a long time to realize what my feelings were.”

“I can relate to that,” he replies. “As I said, it crept up on me. You were a target to be eliminated until you weren’t anymore, and then you were gone and I was worried, and not just because Lady Edelgard was beside herself, but because...well. I was starting to realized that there was so much more I wanted to say to you.”

“Losing five years wasn’t easy,” Byleth agrees.

“It certainly wasn’t. But now you’re here, so...I suppose I decided it was time I stopped waiting around to tell you. Mostly because you managed to walk me into it so easily.”

“Yes, that. Well, no matter how foolish it may have been, seeing you hurt nearly caused me to panic. I know it wasn’t a major injury, and that I was able to heal you well enough, but still it had me worried. What if something more serious had happened to you? What if something does happen to you? I can’t bear the idea of losing you, and so I wanted you to know how I felt,” she says.

“And yet you coerced me into admitting it first,” he teases, and she cracks a hint of a smile.

“You made it too easy to. I wanted to see if you would give in.”

“So devious, Byleth! Though I admit I had the same thought with you. I would have drug it on forever just to see how flustered you became when you finally confessed, but I didn’t want to waste too much time on it. And I’m glad I didn’t, or who knows if we would have picked up where we left off?”

“We were interrupted, weren’t we? I was hardly able to stop thinking about it, you know,” says Byleth.

“It was a bit of a distraction for me as well,” Hubert confesses. “I wanted to know what you thought.”

“I wanted to know that you meant it. I didn’t think you would throw something like that around so lightly, but at the same time, I was pushing you and teasing you a bit with it, so who knows? You might have thought it was funny to tease me right back,” she says.

“With something that major?” he asks. “Never.”

Byleth kisses him then, and he supposes he should have been expecting that. She even moves slowly, slowly enough that he can see it coming, but he still feels a hint of surprise when her lips actually touch his. Perhaps because he had no idea that they would feel so soft, that it would be so pleasant; perhaps because, despite being in his mid-twenties, this is the first time a woman has ever kissed him.

Neither of them were built for this, for the slow and soft romance or the magic of first kisses, but Hubert thinks that they do fairly well for themselves. He puts a hand on the back of her head because he feels like he should, leaning into her as he returns her kiss, and she wraps her arms around his neck. With her body pressed to him, he can feel her heartbeat,  _ her _ heartbeat that she has only recently reclaimed, and he is somewhat relieved to feel that her heart is racing as much as his is.

“I love you, Hubert,” she says, breathlessly when she finally breaks the kiss, and he has never been one for romance, but this feels like it is everything he has ever wanted to hear.

“And I love you, Byleth,” he replies. “Or do you prefer it when I call you professor, so long as I’m not deflecting?”

“Must you always tease me?” she asks, exasperated, but there is still that hint of a smile that suggests she is not nearly as frustrated as she pretends to be. Her displays of emotion are more common than they ever were before, but seeing her like this is still a rarity, and he is glad that he is present for it.

“Would you love me nearly as much if I didn’t?” Hubert asks in return, and her exasperation fades almost immediately.

“Of course not. You wouldn’t be Hubert if you didn’t.”

It is all sappy, unbearably so, but he is happy with this, and happier than he ever expected to be with another person. Maybe even happier than he ever expected to be in general, but even before he fell in love and knew what it was to want something for himself, he never had very high expectations. Byleth exceeds all of them by quite a bit, and he soon finds himself pulling her into a kiss this time, unable to resist nibbling at her lower lip as he does, pleased with the soft moan that he earns from her.

This morning, they were colleagues, and now they are...something else entirely, though he does not know how to describe this stage in their relationship, only what he wants it to become. Things have already moved rapidly, and he knows that to take them further would be to move them along far too quickly, but once he has started, he finds that he can’t stop, desperate to make up for all the lost time spent on doubting her, missing her, and then doubting himself.

He kisses her for much longer than their first kiss, and even once that is done, he finds himself going back for more, and when  _ that _ is done, Byleth pulls him back, and it becomes very clear that neither of them are stopping any time soon. In fact, it becomes abundantly clear that they won’t be stopping at this tonight, either.


	4. Chapter 4

Hubert has no more experience with this than he does anything else, but his fantasies have become embarrassingly complex over the years, especially as soon as he had a central figure for those fantasies. He does know what he wants, but it is hard to go straight into that. Instead, this is something that they will have to ease themselves into, something that he probably would not have brought up to Byleth for quite some time, were it not for the fact that their passions got the better of them.

Her hands roam his body and his explore hers, with neither of them knowing what they are doing or where they are going with this, only that they want to touch each other as much as they possibly can. Before long, the clothes separating them have become a nuisance, and have to be dealt with right away. At least, even in their current state of impulsiveness, they are both rational enough to know that they are better suited to strip themselves, rather than wasting their time fumbling with the other’s ensemble.

Byleth is undressed far quicker than him, both due to having less layers to deal and perhaps being more skilled at a quick change. Hubert feels suddenly awkward as he struggles to undress the rest of the way, all while doing his best to not get distracted by the naked woman in the room with him, something that he finds is difficult to do when all he wants to do is gawk at her like some virgin schoolboy, who has never seen a naked woman in person before.

Well.

He supposes everything except “schoolboy” rings true for him, and when he is in her presence, sometimes it is hard not to remember his time as her student. Sometimes she still feels very much like the professor she used to be, though he knows better than to dwell on a fact like that now.

When he is fully undressed, he misses having something to do to distract him, and finds his attention split between wanting to stare at her and feeling self-conscious about his own appearance, when he does not have nearly as much to offer as she does. While dressed, anyone could see she had an enviable body, curvy but with the strong arms and legs befitting a mercenary of her experience. However, with her clothes  _ off _ , the fact that she has magnificent curves is even more noticeable,  _ and _ he finds that her flat, hardened stomach, her lean, muscular form, is even more desirable than he ever could have imagined.

In comparison, he’s sure that he must be a disappointed. Hubert isn’t  _ weak _ because even he knows that he can’t depend entirely on magic in every situation, but he neglects his physical training for more than most. He is not nearly as tone as her- in fact, he fears he might be softening a bit now that he spends more time researching, plotting, and scheming- and has pale, almost sickly, skin, always concealed beneath several layers. Though he has never been one to fret over his appearance, in that brief moment after he takes his clothes off, when he has the chance to see how beautiful she is, he worries.

What she could possibly see in him, he has no idea, but then Byleth is closing the distance between them, pressing her perfect, nude body against his as she captures him in another kiss, her fingers feeling almost electric as they drift down his back, with nothing to separate her flesh from his. Nerves aside, Hubert could get very used to  _ this _ , and that is without speaking of the way her breasts press into him, and the way he can feel the heat radiating from her skin, and that soft flutter that he knows belongs to her heart.

Byleth nibbles at his lower lip and he moans into her mouth, earning a moan back from her. She must be able to feel how badly he wants her now, and it is getting to the point that he wants her badly enough that he can hardly remember any of his previous worries, as if it has been centuries since he first stripped down in front of her, rather than a few minutes. That is how quickly she wins him over entirely, until all of his focus in on what comes next, how he can touch her and how she will touch him, and how they will make it so that there is no longer any space between them.

Pathetic, desperate, and altogether  _ nothing _ like himself. That is what Byleth reduces him to, what the idea of being physically intimate reduces him to. He has spent so long untouched, never seeing a problem with it, and now that she has touched him, now that he has been touched, he knows that he will not be satisfied until he has had it all. Byleth, though she does not speak it out loud and though he does not outright ask, answers well enough with her body, and he can feel that it is the same for her.

In order for them to go where they want to, they have to pull apart for a moment, and that proves to be a challenge, but one that they eventually manage. He knows that it’s all in his imagination, but he feels cold as soon as her body isn’t against his. Byleth lays down, and Hubert follows her down. There is a damp heat between her legs, something that he can feel even before he begins touching her directly, and she squirms as soon as his hand makes contact.

He has no idea what he’s doing, but as long as Byleth responds positively to him, then he will press on, deciding then and there not to get caught up in his thoughts. Not that he can even think straight right now anyway, so it really is for the best that he goes with what his body decides to do, and what Byleth tells him she wants, be it verbally or nonverbally. He presses a finger inside of her, where she is much warmer, and this action causes her to gasp his name in a voice that he rather likes.

“Say it again,” he says, his own voice sounding like that of a stranger.

“H-Hubert,” she repeats, and he feels himself shudder in response. Still, he does not slow in his movements, and she whimpers, her hips raising a bit to encourage him. As he fingers her, he can hear her breathing grow more and more erratic, and watches the way her face shifts and contorts in her pleasure. He aches with how much he wants her, with how much he wants to rush ahead with no regard for her, but the thought of this being even slightly inadequate for her is enough to slow him down, and keep him at a pace that is most comfortable for Byleth.

Hubert wonders if his years of subservience have given him an inherent desire to please, or if this is just a result of his strong feelings for her. Whatever the case, he intends to take as much time as he has to to ensure that everything is just so, to make sure that Byleth enjoys herself and is left with as little discomfort as possible. Though his lack of experience may make that difficult, he has some vague knowledge picked up over the years, overhearing conversations that, at the time, he wished he hadn’t, but now prove useful, and picked up through books that, despite his lack of interest in the topic, he found his curiosity winning out enough that he flipped through a few of them.

Now, he hopes to put whatever knowledge that he has to good use. He works another finger inside of Byleth, and she cries out for him, causing him to shudder again, overwhelmed by how her voice sounds when it is dripping with need, and need directed at him, no less. There is something indescribable about it, and he wonders now how he ever could have thought that  _ this _ was something he had no need for, that it was something he could go to the whole of his life without, and not miss out on anything. And that is without having actually experienced anything other than seeing Byleth’s reactions!

Whatever he is doing for her, he must be doing right, because it is not long before she is hardly able to breathe at all, pathetic gasps punctuating each moan as she writhes beneath him, all control of herself completely lost. She trembles with her need for him the same way he trembles with his need for her, and he decides that now is the time, that if she isn’t ready now, she never will be, and that, even with the patience he is trying to force for himself, he is unable to wait another moment.

Hubert pauses before he presses into her, and she bites her lip when she feels his cock against her, tensing a bit in the anticipation. He had hoped that she would not hesitate at all, that her head would be so cloudy with arousal that she would not even notice the shift in positions, but the brief loss of contact is enough to allow her to think straight for a moment, just long enough for her to remember what it is that they are about to do.

“Sh, don’t worry about a thing,” he says. “Just stay as relaxed as you can, and everything is going to feel just fine. Better than it did before, I promise.” Naturally, Hubert can make no such promises, because he has no real knowledge of what is to come, but he reassures Byleth nonetheless. If he doesn’t, then he knows for sure that things will be unpleasant for her. At the very least, relaxing and not fighting it due to nerves will allow her the chance of enjoying it.

But as it turns out, neither of them have anything to worry about. His progress is slow, so slow that it is agonizing, but he manages for her sake, not allowing even the slightest look of discomfort to overcome her without him slowing down long enough to allow her to get used to it. Byleth holds her breath from time to time, but when he reminds her to breathe steady, she always does. Whenever she starts to tense, he helps her to relax, until finally, he can sink into her with a low groan that sounds almost relieved.

From that point on, things are much easier on the two of them. Any discomfort that Byleth may have had seems to disappear entirely as she wraps her legs around him, as if to hold him in place. Naturally, he has no intention of pulling back now, but it is a nice feeling, almost like she is commanding him to remain inside of her, and he realizes that he doesn’t mind having her command him. He doesn’t mind that one bit, and with her orders in place, he gives her what she wants, thrusting further into her and moaning, soft and deep.

She responds to his thrusts with movements of her own, falling into a rhythm with him, her hips rising each time to match him. Though she does not take the lead over from him, he no longer feels like he is leading, as the two of them work together, figuring their way through their first time. It is hard to tell if she knows less or more, or if their knowledge is about the same; it is hard to tell much of anything once she has begun moving in response to him, his head swimming as his pleasure builds, as he feels himself drifting closer to the edge.

His attempts at pleasuring himself in the past have been methodical, by necessity only. Hubert never much cared for the process, but his body had ideas of its own at times, and when his arousal grew to be a distraction, when it began to keep him up at night, he would deal with it, without thought or emotion. Therefore, the climaxes that he has experienced are nothing in comparison to what happens after Byleth comes.

She gives in suddenly, her breath catching in her throat and his name just barely coherent amidst her moan, and the sensation of her climax is so overwhelming that Hubert is there before he even realizes it. He comes harder than he ever has, and if he had known that it could be _ this _ good...well, he might not have written it off altogether before now.

After being stuck in place with Byleth for so long, things speed up rather suddenly, but once they are both spent, there is no question of where they will be spending the night. They lay there together, content to rest until morning, and discuss the rest of their relationship at that point.


	5. Chapter 5

It is a strange feeling to wake up sharing his bed with someone else. Hubert actually wakes up at a few points in the night, and every time he is startled to discover that Byleth is really there, and that whatever dream he may have been having about her was likely inspired by her actual presence. And when he remembers her reason for being there, he can hardly manage to fall back asleep, and once he does, it isn’t long, before he wakes up and repeats the process.

Even so, he does not feel nearly as exhausted as he should when he wakes up properly in the morning. They had a very eventful day, and a very eventful night, and then he kept waking up over and over again, hardly getting a restful night’s sleep, and yet he does not wake up feeling utterly exhausted, or anything of the sort. If anything, he feels  _ good _ , just to be here with her, after such an eventful day.

It is hard to tell if Byleth woke up even half as many times as he did, or if she managed to sleep soundly through the night, but she doesn’t have the dark circles that would probably be noticeable on him if not for the fact that he already has them every day. He does not think that’s his bias speaking, either; it is not that he sees her as exceptionally beautiful first thing in the morning because he has feelings for her, she simply looks refreshed and well-rested.

While Hubert can admit that she is beautiful, it has never been her looks that took him in, so he isn’t sure if he even possesses such a bias. All he knows is that she looks like she got the night of sleep that they both so desperately needed, while he knows he did not, and still doesn’t feel any worse for it.

“Good morning,” he finally says, for lack of anything better to say. Why he feels like he needs to say something witty, or anything beyond that, really- first thing in the morning, no less- is beyond him.

“Good morning,” she replies, and it does not sound nearly as stupid when she says. Oh, but does he have it bad now! If he thought his feelings were a nuisance before, that is nothing compared to whatever has cropped up overnight, now that his feelings have actually been addressed. He is excited by the simplest of things that she does, just because he knows that she is his, and he is hers. Though there is a very big part of him that is still so blissful that he doesn’t mind, there is still a part of him that hopes this is the newness of the relationship, and that he will return to normal soon.

“We probably shouldn’t spend all day in bed,” he says. “There’s still much to do, after yesterday. If we don’t start planning our next strike, then all of our work will have been for nothing.”

“Who said anything about spending all day in bed?” she teases, and he can feel his face warming in response to that. “A little presumptuous, aren’t you?”

“Now, now, Byleth,” he responds, teasing back to hide how flustered this has made him. “What makes you think I was referring to that? I was simply reminding you that we can’t afford to be lazy right now. Whatever leaps  _ your _ mind made based on that...well, that is entirely your doing.”

She laughs, and he finds himself growing relaxed at the sound. Flustered as he may be, there is still such an ease, such a comfort, in talking with her like this. There always has been, but even more so now that they have broken down this last barrier between the two of them. Now that everything has been laid out, it is much easier to go on with things, feeling simultaneously like nothing and everything has changed.

The two of them rise and get dressed, and he remembers that they were not without witnesses last night. He wonders if anyone who saw them leave together noticed that neither of them emerged for the rest of the night, or if anyone cared enough to pay attention to that in the first place. If there is any question about it, he is sure that he is intimidating enough to dissuade anyone from confronting him, and Byleth’s stoicism does not make her very approachable either.

Rumors are of no concern to him, but what is important is who they will tell about their relationship, and where their relationship will go from here. It will be a little while before they can discuss things like that properly, and it will be more important to focus on their mission before they start talking about wedding vows, or anything like that, but he knows that there is at least one person they will tell soon, the one person that will know about them first.

~X~

Typically, Hubert keeps the news about his mission from Edelgard, until it is something major. She would involve herself, if she knew exactly what he was doing, and there would be no way for him to stop her, at that point. The only way that he can protect her is to maintain her ignorance. However, he knows that this mission report is an important one, because he will finally be able to put some of her worries to rest. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that he tell her that this mission is nearly at its end.

But now that things have changed so drastically between he and Byleth, he can’t help but want to share that detail with Edelgard even more. Hubert is hardly the sort to  _ brag _ about a relationship, or even go around sharing the details of something like this changing, but even Byleth expressed an interest in telling Edelgard first, and telling her soon. It seems only right, considering the strong connection that they both share with her, that she be the first person to know what has happened. The three of them really have no family to speak of, so in that sense, they are all that any of them has. Edelgard is their family.

But in that sense, it makes it difficult to focus on delivering a simple mission report, especially when he also has to make sure that he leaves out enough details to keep her from worrying, and to keep her from trying to storm in herself, deciding that she has not done the right thing by letting Hubert handle it on his own while feigning ignorance to the entire operation. He knows how he is, and he has to be careful to avoid that just as much as he has to be careful not to let her his mind wander and begin talking about how it felt to let his head rest in Byleth’s lap.

Somehow, he doesn’t think those details are particularly relevant to any discussion, or anything that Edelgard really needs, or wants, to know.

But by the end of it all, when he is sure that she is satisfied enough with the information that she won’t ask any more of him, and that she won’t try to do anything on her own, when Enbarr already needs her so much and when it is already far too dangerous, he thinks that now might be the time to mention what has happened with Byleth. It is no secret that she has been helping him, so Edelgard is at least not surprised to hear that she was at his side during the mission.

“She is a great help,” he says. “She may have saved my life.” Admitting that is a bit of a risk, since he knows Edelgard will worry upon hearing it.

Sure enough, she is soon asking him what happened, and if everything is okay, and he has to assure her that it was a minor injury that Byleth could heal easily, that it was simply having her there to ensure he was safe while he recovered that really counted. By the end of it, Edelgard still isn’t entirely convinced, and she says, “If you need any more assistance, I’m sure there’s someone I could spare. It’s bad enough to know you’re risking your life like that, but for the both of you to be out there, and all on my behalf…”

“It’s not just for you, in her case,” he assures her, though Byleth has already said as much, no longer caring about the revenge like she used to. “But, honestly, that isn’t the only thing I wanted to discuss with you. I actually wanted to discuss something involving Byleth, something that happened after...all of that.”

“Well.” Edelgard gives him a warm smile. “I suppose you’ve finally gotten around to telling her, then?”

“I...excuse me?” This is exactly what he was planning on telling Edelgard, but what he doesn’t know is how she already seemed to guess. Unless she means something else by that, but judging by the knowing smile she is wearing, that is exactly what she means.

“Honestly, Hubert,” she says, shaking her head, “you know that I know you better than anyone, right? And she...well, it’s no secret that the two of you are very close, and that there is a whole lot more to that than just serving at my side. Maybe I helped bridge things a little bit-” Here, she looks a little proud of herself. “-but anyone could tell that there’s something between you. Even if neither of you could figure it out.”

“I...see,” Hubert says, after he has cleared his throat a little. “Well, in that case, yes. We, um, wanted you to be the first to know, Your Majesty.”

“You really don’t have to be so formal when we’re alone like this. Especially not when delivering such good news! You’re not given me a report on anything, Hubert. You, a dear friend of mine, are telling me about your impending engagement to another good friend of mine.” She delivers the last line with another knowing smile, and he knows that it will be pointless to tell her that he and Byleth have not begun discussing matters of marriage just yet.

For now, they have other, more important problems to dwell on, and even once that is out of the way, who knows what will happen? Though he knows, and has known for a while, that he would willingly share his life with her, it seems a little sudden to start planning the wedding. But he doesn’t say any of that to Edelgard, because he knows that she is a realist, and understands that this will take time, and because she is so excited for him that he would rather not ruin the moment by bringing realism into it.

But if she thinks that his wedding- when,  _ if _ it occurs- is going to be any major state occasion, she will have to rethink that entirely. Neither he nor Byleth are the royal wedding type, so she will just have to save that for herself, if she and her rumored beau ever decide to actually do anything about that.

Really, she has no business butting into his love life, all things considered.


	6. Chapter 6

Things with Byleth progress at a fairly decent pace, all things considered. The two of them have a lot of important work to do that should slow things down a bit, but they do not allow it to get too much in their way. Whenever they can afford some time for leisure, they are together, just barely managing to keep their relationship subtle, with only Edelgard knowing the truth if their closeness.

One night of intimacy is not enough to quell the hunger that has suddenly been uncovered, and the two of them spend nearly every night together, sharing a bed and sharing their bodies, crossing boundaries so quickly that it is hard to imagine those boundaries ever existed in the first place. As they become more familiar with one another, they also become more familiar with what the other really likes, and realize that their tastes line up quite a bit.

Which is what results in Byleth allowing Hubert to tie her up one night, after a particularly stressful day, claiming that this is what she needs to unwind, and that she wants him to take complete control of her for the night, so that she does not have to worry about herself for a chance. He is more than happy to do so; taking control of situations is a specialty of his, and though there is a much bigger part of him that wants to serve those close to him, there is still that same threatening young man that caught her eye all those years ago, that did what he could to intimidate her and remind her of her place.

Tonight, he can put her in her place and keep her there, with her hands bound above her head and her feet bound to the bedposts, spread apart so that he has easy access to her. Hubert walks around her, circling her as he looks down at her with a sneer. “You let yourself be caught so easily, professor,” he teases.

“I must be getting rusty,” she says, “to let my guard down around someone like you.”

“I should say so,” he replies, “though you should know better than to underestimate me. That could very well lead to your downfall, don’t you agree?”

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say that it already has,” Byleth says, her voice soft, and Hubert smirks.

“My dear professor, there’s no ‘knowing better’ to it. It already has, and we both know that,” he says. He sees her give a little shudder of excitement, and knows that his intimidation is working. She is already aroused, and he has not so much as touched her since securing the rope and making sure it is sturdy. If Byleth were to try, he has no doubt that she could escape, but it would take effort, and the light tugs she does for show do nothing.

But if she needed to escape, they both know that she has the power to do so. She has no desire to, much less any need, so she continues to play the part of his captive, her eyes shining in a way that he never would have thought possible when he first met the formerly dead-eyed woman. The excitement that he is able to inspire in her inspires quite the excitement in  _ him _ , and he can barely contain himself, can barely keep up the role that he has been asked to play.

In the back of his mind, he imagines their roles reversed, imagines her eyes shining like that as she looks down on him and as he is made to serve her, and this excites him even more. But this role is exciting for him as well, and he knows that he would not necessarily trade one if it meant completely losing out on the other. Hubert likes this just as much as he likes the idea of being made to serve her, and, while he hopes they are able to do that soon, tonight, he is ecstatic to be able to take control of her.

He continues circling the bed, aching with his need for her but keeping up his relaxed, composed front all the while. “You can hardly hold still,” he observes. “Trying to escape, or...is it something else?”

“It’s something else,” she replies immediately. “At this point, even if I could escape, I doubt that I would. Not until…”

“Until what? Until I have my way with you? You’re hoping that you’ll be able to get your own satisfaction out of that, I assume,” he says, as if that was not the plan from the beginning. “You know, if you could escape, you might have better luck trying to have your way with me, but something about your reactions right now tell me that you get more enjoyment out of having me watch you squirm. If you broke out, that would remove the fun for you. Am I right?”

“I…” She pretends to be caught and pretends to be ashamed, as if this was not her intention. “Maybe that’s true, but you can’t deny the appeal. After all, you wouldn’t have left me like this if you didn’t like it as well?”

“Isn’t that a little presumptuous? Maybe I tied you up just to have you out of my way, professor. I don’t have to follow through with any of that. I could continue to watch you squirm, or I could even just leave you like this.” His voice drops to a low whisper by the end of his sentence, and again, Byleth shudders for him. He kneels beside her, so that his lips can be near her ear. “You’d probably get off to that too, wouldn’t you? My, my…how pathetic we are.”

Byleth whimpers, and he knows that he can hardly stand the anticipation, but still he holds strong, deciding to tease her physically for a bit, before he gives in to his own overwhelming desires. She is completely naked before him, making it easy to do whatever he wants to her. He can pinch and poke and prod at her body, and she will react to each touch, her senses heightened in her anticipation, making even the lightest of touches capable of earning a reaction from her.

She has never before been so powerless, he thinks, and it is thrilling in its own right to be able to hold such power over her. He can recall those times in the past when he had hoped to discover a weakness of hers to exploit; never would he have imagined that he could be such a weakness, and that exploiting it could be so exciting for him. He never would have imagined that he would only exploit her weaknesses to bring them both pleasure, because he never would have imagined, back then, that Byleth would come to mean this much to him.

It is all an incredibly sappy way to think about things while he torments her, but that only seems to heighten the experience. His hands moving slowly across her skin, his gloves long since discarded, and she arches her back, so needy that he knows each touch must be absolute torture for her. A part of him thinks that he could torture her like this forever and never grow tired of it, while another part of him is desperate to give her what she wants. That part of him can hardly stand to see her in need, and it has more to do with  _ her _ desires, then the fact that his own desires are driving him absolutely mad with each moment that he continues to drag it out.

One hand rests between her legs, and she reacts immediately, unable to help herself, as she grinds against him, desperate to create some sort of friction, something to satisfy her longing. He smirks down at her, as if daring her to get herself off like this, but he doesn’t give her the chance before he is pushing a finger inside of her, and she cries out, ecstatic to finally get what she wants. She is already so tense, so needy, that he is almost surprised the most basic of touches from him didn’t send her over the edge immediately.

As it is, it only takes a second finger pushed into her, and a few skilled movements, before she comes, wracked with the force of her orgasm. He has done so little for her, but he has managed to do just enough to drive her insane, to drive her to the point that she can’t help but give in entirely. It is a beautiful sight to behold, and one that  _ he _ is helpless before. Hubert would love to keep this up and would love to prove himself capable of tormenting her endlessly, capable of reducing her to a trembling mess as she comes again and again, weak and helpless, all without him ever fucking her, but he is at his own limit now.

Now, he needs her just as badly as she needs him, perhaps even more, he is just better at not showing it. Amazing that he would ever be able to hide anything better than the elusive professor who’s smile used to be like a rare treasure. He has always been reticent, of course, but she was on another level. And yet, now, he brings her down to his level, brings her even lower, and, revelling in that fact, he climbs on top of her, his cock aching, his breath ragged, and his heart pounding in his chest. He needs her, and he does not intend to wait any longer to have her.

After all, he has set it up so that he holds the power in the situation; why should he deny himself simply to prove a point? Why should he deny himself when he has already proved enough of a point for today? Perhaps he was not made for this dominant role, no matter what his demeanor may suggest, and perhaps he is better off taking whatever he can get, no matter how pathetic this may make him, and perhaps he might have been just as content letting her torment him, offering himself in service to her.

Tormenting her is torment to him, so if he is going to have to be tormented, he wonders if he might not be better suited for the role of a servant. That is all he has known, really, and the only way he has known to show love. As fun as it is to exert power over Byleth, that power has typically been reserved for those that he are beneath him, and never as an expression of love.

Even so, he would not write this experience off as a failure, especially not as he finally sinks into her, the two of them moaning in unison, and he surprises himself with how pathetic he sounds, even alongside Byleth’s needy moan. He has kept himself waiting for far too long, and the satisfaction that he gets from burying himself within her is greater than anything that he has ever felt in his life. Yes, this was certainly no failure, and through the haze that settles in as he fucks her, he imagines how he can use this again in the future, how it might be if he is always made to wait like this, how it might be if she…

But thinking soon becomes impossible as he gives in to the need that he has allowed to build up beyond his control, thrusting wildly into her until she is screaming with her second orgasm, until the tight pulse sends him over the edge, joining her in her bliss. The two of them can hardly breathe when all is said and done, the intensity nearly doing them both in.

But their breath returns to them in staggering gasps, and slowly, coherent thought returns as well. Soon enough, Hubert decides, he will have to experiment with how it feels to be on the other side of things, provided Byleth likes the idea as well.


	7. Chapter 7

Things are finally starting to wind down for the two of them, and with that in mind, they are able to spend a bit more time together, getting lost in the indulgences that they have slowly become addicted to since they first began. Edelgard always insists that they spend what time together they can, so the work is less demanding, giving them time to focus only on their mission and on each other. Hubert would ordinarily insist that he could do more for her, but for once, he finds himself satisfied with her giving him orders to relax a little more.

Things are different now that he and Byleth are together, he supposes, and there will always be time in the future to do more. For now, it  _ is _ rather nice to just be able to lose himself in their private indulgences, and Byleth seems to agree, loosening up a good deal just from being with him. He loves her so much, more than he ever thought he could love anyone, and she loves him, more than he ever thought he would deserve to be loved. It is all so strange and wonderful, almost like living someone else’s life for a little while.

As he runs a hand through her hair, his voice catches, as he struggles to find the words for what he wants to say. She has enjoyed being his for some time now, and enjoyed when he ties her up or otherwise orders her to remain still, to let him have his way with her, and he has enjoyed that as well, but always, the desire to serve remains. Now, he wants to to take a step into focusing on that instead, and struggles to express this to her, finding himself uncharacteristically shy.

But Byleth knows him well by now, and has only gotten to know him better since they entered a relationship, and already she can tell that there is something on his mind. She asks him, after he hesitates for a while, simply playing with her hair and saying nothing. “Is there something you wanted to talk about?”

“It’s nothing serious,” he replies, knowing better than to try and lie when she has seen through him already, and not really wanting to lie anyway. He wants to say it, it just feels difficult to do so, but he wants to, and he knows that he can manage.

“Whatever it is, you know I’m here to listen,” she replies, with a small half of a smile that feels like it makes his heart stop.

“I would like to try and do things differently,” he finally says. “I mean, the way that we...when I…if we were to…” He finds himself tongue tied, frustrated with how stupid he knows he must sound to her, and her smile only grows. She isn’t mocking him, but he knows it must give her a little bit of satisfaction, to see him lose his composure over something so simple.

“If we were to…?” she says, finally urging him on when she realizes that he is not saying anything else.

“You like it when I take control over you,” he says, glad that he is at least able to form a full sentence now. And the implications are all there, and she understands what he means as soon as he says it, giving him a knowing look and nodding.

“You’d like it if I took control for a bit,” she finishes with a nod, and Hubert nods in return. “That makes sense. I think you would be just as good at that as you are the other. The only thing is...I’m not sure how good  _ I _ would be, so you would have to be patient with me while I figured things out.”

“You aren’t being serious, are you, Byleth?” he asks, raising a brow.

“What do you mean?”

“My strong and capable professor, and our emperor’s beloved leader,” he says, shaking his head. “You were practically born for the role, and you know it. You certainly never had trouble ordering me around, in the classroom or on the battlefield.”

“Yes, but this is different,” she replies, only to trail off and offer no explanation. She must not be able to explain just how it is different, or perhaps she is a little too embarrassed to actually articulate how it is different. No matter the reasoning, nothing changes the fact that she  _ is _ a little flustered now, and adorably so. It is almost easy to slip into the more dominant persona that she likes to see from him, but Hubert refrains, wanting to see this through to the end.

“I understand if you don’t want to, but...I do want you to remember that I live to serve. All you need to do is give the order, and your wish is my command,” he says. Without missing a beat, he gets down, kneeling in front of her with a hand resting over his chest, as if swearing his loyalty entirely to her, offering himself to Byleth. He looks up at her to see her actually  _ blushing _ , and is nearly overwhelmed by how adorable she is like this. Hubert is struck by the desire to protect her, the desire to serve this woman until the end, and if that service involves aiding her in becoming a bit more dominant, than he is glad to do so.

“I...I’m still not sure where to start, but you’ve given me enough of a start, I suppose,” she says, looking down at him and steeling herself with a short nod. “Very well, Hubert. If you are to be my servant, than I can’t very well leave you without any orders. How about we...start small, for tonight?”

“My lady, we can start however you wish to start,” he replies with a smile that he struggles not to turn into a smirk. No matter how used to playing this part he may be in his daily life, there is still something about Byleth that makes it very difficult not to tease her.

“Stand up,” she orders him, and he does as told. Byleth rests a hand against the center of his chest, giving him a warm smile, her nerves starting to fade away as she lets herself slip into this role. She’s a natural, just as he would have expected from her, and nothing can hold her back from that. “Now, lay down somewhere a bit more suitable.” As she says this, she gives a gentle push, nothing strong enough to actually move him, but enough to direct him.

Hubert nods, heading straight for the bed and laying back as she commands him. He feels stiff, and realizes that, when he lays down like this, he probably looks like he’s preparing himself for his own funeral, though he isn’t sure how to do this more naturally and decides not to worry about that right now. All he focuses on is Byleth, as she walks towards him slowly, a confident sway in her step that he is not used to seeing, not even while commanding on the battlefield. She’s taking this seriously, and that makes it all the more exciting for him.

She’s undressed in a flash, and because she hasn’t ordered him not to stare at her, he doesn’t feel the need to hold back. By the time she reaches him, he feels his own control slipping, starts to feel tempted to just have at her, but he shows restraint. It’s the temptation to go against orders, the desire to do what he wants to do, and the need to fight against all desire and temptation, that really makes this fulfilling to him. He can want anything for himself, just as long as he fights it off every time, choosing her orders over his own wishes.  _ That _ is what makes this an act of service.

“All you have to do,” she says, “is lay right there and take care of me. If you can manage that, then I’ll reward you.”

“No reward is necessary,” he replies, even though he knows that he would like that very much. “My only reward is knowing that I have done what I can to satisfy you.”

“Necessary or not, if you do a good enough job, then I’m going to reward you. You’re not going to defy me on that, are you?”

She’s definitely a natural at this. Hubert has to swallow hard before replying that he won’t defy her, and then she is climbing on top of him, straddling his face. He aches with how much he wants her right now, but if this is what she wants him to do for her, then he will do his part diligently, just like any proper servant would. Briefly, Hubert wonders if it’s possible to get off on doing this for her, with her never even having to touch him, and wonders how harsh the punishment would be if he did, without her permission.

But he isn’t quite sure that Byleth is at the punishment stage yet, so he would probably be let off the hook with simply a stern scolding, one that he would probably struggle to take seriously, even with all of his devotion to servitude.

Once she’s lowered herself onto his face, not putting her whole weight down, just a little bit of pressure, he gets to work straight away, pressing his lips up against her, pressing his tongue inside of her, and thrilling at the soft moan that escapes her immediately. Her breathing grows uneven as he works at her cunt, burying his tongue deeper within her, each movement, each lick, causing her to go weak.

No matter how cool she may try to play it as she orders him around and takes him to use as she pleases, she is completely helpless against his touch. Hubert will see to it that she is left a quivering mess in the wake of her pleasure, the pleasure that he will give her, until she is convinced that he deserves the reward she’s promised him. Even knowing that she would likely reward him either way, and knowing that he was being sincere when he said her pleasure was all the reward he would need, he is still determined to that much for her, and more, if possible.

Byleth’s moans become more and more frequent as she loses herself to his treatment, and Hubert persists, his determination showing through with each stroke of his tongue, tilting his face up, grinding against her as if desperate for more. She responds in kind, moving down against him, as if she could smother him like this, and as if it would be worth it to do so, if only it meant that she could have more. Like this, it doesn’t take long for him to finish her off, and it feels like they have hardly begun when she cries out, when he feels the familiar pulse of her orgasm, the tension that leads to the release, until she has relaxed on top of him, just barely supporting her weight enough to make sure she does not  _ actually _ smother him.

She climbs off of him as she struggles to catch her breath, resting next to him for a moment. Breathlessly, she praises his efforts, and even though he wants her so badly that it hurts, he thinks that this would be more than enough reward for him. For any dedicated servant, praise from his mistress should always be more than enough.

But then, she’s undressing him hastily and taking him in hand, and he gasps, sharp and needy, and puts up no resistance, giving himself over to her completely and melting under her touch as she gives him his reward. Hubert is not ashamed of how quickly she is able to make him come like this, happy only that he did not have to find out what would happen if he were able to get off on pleasing her alone.


	8. Chapter 8

A few days later, after their first attempt at trying this new thing, Hubert returns home to find Byleth waiting for him, a look on her face that tells him all that he needs to know. She has slipped back into her more dominant persona, a mixture of the stern professor and the capable strategist, all mixed together with something that he knows is entirely meant for him. He thrills to see it, and thrills to imagine what ways she will take control of him tonight.

“I want you on the floor,” she says, wasting no time before getting down to it. “I want you to kneel on your hands and knees in front of me.”

“Of course,” he replies, eager to answer to her requests. Despite her initial hesitation, she has taken to this role rather easily and rather quickly, and of course it is in his nature to take orders and fit himself into his role. He wastes no time in kneeling on the floor before her, propping himself up on his hands and knees, not sure if he should look at the floor or up at her.

He tries the latter and is rewarded with a smile from her as she says, “Very good job. This shouldn’t be too hard for you, Hubert.” She lifts her leg, and rests her foot square on his back, applying a bit of pressure. He resists it, though she is stronger than she looks and he is weaker than he looks, so he is sure that he would not be able to resist for long. If she wanted to, she would be able to knock him over easily, but she just applies regular pressure, to make this a little bit difficult for him.

“If you wish to only use me as a footstool, then I would gladly serve that purpose,” he says, and Byleth hums in appreciation.

“That certainly is an idea,” she says, “but not what I had in mind for you tonight. I’ll just have to file it away for later, I suppose.” Lifting her foot off of him so that she can stand on her own, she continues, “Instead, I just want to see what you are capable of even when dealing with restrictions. To be more specific...sit back and put your arms behind your back.”

Again, Hubert does as he is told, pushing back so that he is only on his knees, sitting up and crossing his hands behind his back, knowing what she is planning and what he needs to do even before she gets out the rope to show to him. Once she has it out, she says, “I’m going to tie your hands behind your back, so that you can show me how capable you are even without them.”

Hubert nods, accepting this willingly and easily, and Byleth circles around him to kneel behind him, securing his wrists in knots that he would not be able to escape easily on his own. At least, without the aid of magic, but a few tugs prove that physical strength would not be enough to break free. Even so, they both know that he is a capable enough mage to escape effortlessly if he needed to, but since this is a simple game based on mutual trust, both know that they do not need to bother thinking about such things.

“Alright, you may stand now,” Byleth says, straightening up and moving back in front of him to study him while he stands up. Hubert keeps his head bowed, low and respectful, and Byleth nods in appreciation at her own handiwork.

Hubert will have to pleasure her without his hands, which he knows he is capable of, but it will still be a bit of a challenge for him. He relies a lot on the skill of his fingers, the way Byleth writhes beneath his touch, and she knows that as well. In a way, she is depriving herself with this challenge, but if he is able to rise to the occasion, then she will not actually have anything to worry about when it comes to her pleasure.

Hubert has no intention of letting her down, and he says, “My lady, I am prepared to serve you whenever you are ready.”

“You’re so eager,” she says, as she begins to undress for him, “and I like that.” He can’t help but watch with poorly disguised hunger in his eyes, the restrictions that he is under only causing his lust for her to grow in response to everything that she does. Hubert wants her, and knows that he can only have her on her terms, and that should make it difficult for him to restrain himself, but he is ready for this.

He has always been ready for this, and this is exactly the sort of challenge that he wanted from her. Swallowing hard, he braces himself as the last of her clothing falls to the floor, and she takes a seat on the edge of the bed.

“Come on,” she says, beckoning for him. “Let’s see what you can do for me like this, and if you can even measure up to your usual efforts without the use of your hands.”

Hubert is certain that he can, holding nothing back as he crosses the room to follow her, kneeling between her spread legs. Starting off by eating her out would be the most obvious course of action, but he decides to start higher and work his way down, building up anticipation as he goes. Already, he thinks about how much easier this would be with his hands, when he could offer her multiple forms of stimulation all at once. That would be no trouble for him at all, and he knows that it would leave her adequately satisfied, but thinking about what he  _ could have _ done does nothing to help him in his current situation.

Hubert must do his best with what he has, and hope that his performance is sufficient even if he is not able to overwhelm like he ordinarily would. He presses his lips to the side of her neck, kissing her there and moving down, taking things slowly. If he will not be able to overwhelm her with too much stimulation, then he can try to take things slowly, so that the lack of stimulation builds her anticipation enough to make it all the sweeter for her in the end.

His lips travel slowly down her neck, until he reaches her shoulders. He takes his time kissing and nibbling along each shoulder, and despite her show of control, Byleth is not able to stop herself from whimpering from time to time, and from squirming each time his teeth graze her skin. She is still weak to his treatment, no matter how hard she may try to play at being immune. Whether or not she can talk a good game or play her role well does not mean anything when it comes to just how easy she is for him to please.

Hubert begins to feel more confident in himself, knowing that he will do good enough for her. His own needs will not distract him, because he knows that hers come first, and that, if he does his job well enough, then she will likely reward him with satisfaction. In the meantime, he continues to kiss along her shoulders and then her collarbone, until his lips reach her chest.

He presses a kiss to one of her already erect nipples, drawing it between his lips so that he can flick his tongue over it, and listen to the way that Byleth squeaks when he does so. She is sensitive and he will take advantage of that, sucking lightly until she is squirming so much that he decides it is time to switch off to her other nipple.

Repeating the process, he once again starts slow before getting into it, but this time, he spends more time with his tongue, teasingly licking her nipple, listening to each catch of her breath. And then he simply sucks at her dutifully, and Byleth finally gives in to the moans that have been threatening to spill forth this entire time. She praises him, though her words are starting to become difficult to understand as they mingle with her moans- Hubert still understands her because he lives for praise from one that he is serving.

He lingers there a moment longer before resuming his descent with his mouth, kissing down her stomach now, and Byleth’s breath catches in her throat again as he kneels lower and lower, his body following the trail that he leaves on her stomach, until finally, his face is level with her thighs. Hubert kisses her inner thighs as well, wondering if he should see just how much he can tease her like this, but then she speaks up, her voice commanding, if not a little shaky, as she orders, “Do not dawdle anymore.”

She doesn’t have to tell him twice, and he nestles his face between her legs, burying his tongue inside of her eagerly, almost greedily. He has teased her long enough, and now he will show Byleth just how devoted he is, just how much he can do for her, with only his tongue to use to prove himself, with his hands still bound behind his back. Hubert never needed them to please her, that much is evident by the way she moans unrestrained for him now, eager to allow herself to give into the pleasures that have been building.

He does not stop until she comes, hard and sudden, his name on her lips and her hand coming to rest on the back of his head, and even as she begins to settle down, he still remains at work, determined not to stop until she tells him otherwise. When Byleth does finally speak up, she says, “Now, Hubert...would you like a reward for a job well done?”

He looks up at her to say, “Serving you is all that I need.”

“I want this as well,” she replies, and he is glad to hear it. Of course, he is aching with his need for her, so if she were to take him at face value and deny him satisfaction, that would have been like torture for him, but it would have been torture that he would still gladly accept. Instead, she has him lay on his back while she undoes his pants, his hands still bound.

His arms hurt a bit from how he lays on them, and he doesn’t care at all, just eager to have her on top of him. Byleth sinks down on him slowly, so that she can make Hubert whimper this time, and he has to bite his lip to keep himself from begging her for more, from overstepping his bounds. His self-control holds firm until he is buried within her, and then he can’t hold back the noises of pleasure as his lover begins to ride him.

At the very least, he is controlled enough not to thrust up into her while she has her way with him, knowing better than to move more than she wants him to. He keeps his hips under control, no matter how much his body may want him to try to take the lead, and that only makes it all the more delicious, as Byleth rides him with a steady rhythm, drawing this out so much that he could cry from how much he needs to come.

She does allow him to, though, telling him that once she has finished, he doesn’t need to hold back. Of course, she must have known that he wouldn’t have had any option, because the sensation of her orgasm is more than enough to push him over the edge, jerking up into her one time as he groans, giving in.

Byleth allows him to catch his breath as she rolls him over to untie him, murmuring praise all the while, and Hubert is proud of himself and overwhelmed by bliss.


	9. Chapter 9

Depending on their moods, Hubert and Byleth will do things differently. Their daily life goes on as always, and now that things are really starting to progress, with Edelgard’s ambitions and the full extermination of the Agarthans, there have been talks of marriage, with a wedding perhaps on the horizon. Of course, neither of them want anything too flashy, even with their positions in the empire, so for now, no major plans are made. There will always be time later.

But beyond their daily lives, there are their nights together, always seeming to increase in passion, even when, each time, it seems that there is no further they can go together. Hubert never thought he could enjoy something so much, or that he could spend so much time on something without growing bored, but nothing with Byleth has ever been boring.

And they do things differently, depending on how they feel, and oftentimes, their moods match up well enough that there is no need for compromise. She enjoys submitting just as much as she enjoys taking control, and he enjoys making her squirm just as much as he enjoys taking on the role of her obedient and loyal servant. And some nights, neither care much for roles, and would rather just enjoy each other without building a game around it.

Some nights, he will hold her close and they will kiss for so long that it feels like they have been like this for hours, and then he will push inside of her slowly and almost delicately, the two of them working their hips together, their gasping moans the only sounds in the room, until they are both content and satisfied. Then, they will fall asleep together, feeling completely at ease.

Other nights, they are more frantic with one another, tearing at their clothes as soon as they are alone together, somehow made impatient by the day spent apart, or made impatient by being made to work so closely together, while doing nothing to indicate how close they actually are. By the time they are alone, there is nothing that can hold either of them back, and they could spend hours and hours going at each other, and never feel truly satisfied.

Eventually, sleep will always take them as they exhaust themselves with each other, and when they wake up in the morning, they are finally calm, having slept off whatever remnants of lust that they had. In the daylight, none of it remains, and they continue on as normal, their night of overwhelming desire, their inability to keep off each other for even a second, kept only between the two of them, and the professional way in which they conduct themselves does nothing to betray them.

They are very much in love and yet still very much themselves, going about their routines just as they always do, and locking themselves away each night to properly enjoy their time alone.

Of course, there are the nights where they have plenty of time to themselves, and where their impatience has not grown to a point that they can only grab at each other and exhaust themselves. They are not so lost in sentimentality that laying together and gently and easily fucking will do the trick either, and with their moods so often evenly lined up like this, there is no need to work out a compromise, with both almost always knowing what the other wants, just based on their own desires.

Some nights, Hubert will take her hand and get down on one knee to kiss it, offering his services to see to whatever needs she may have, and other nights, he will pin her down and tell her not to move a muscle until he instructs her to, and Byleth is always soon swept up in it.

~X~

She sits on her knees, her hands behind her back, not moving at all, just as Hubert has instructed her. Remaining still, she looks straight ahead, until he reaches down to put a finger beneath her chin, tilting her head up so that she can look at him. He makes eye contact with her and gives her a chilling smirk, one that has terrified more than a few enemies in his time, but one that leaves her shuddering with pleasure, unable to hide her arousal from him.

“It’s amazing,” he says, in a low voice, “that I don’t even need to tie you up anymore. If I were to leave you just like that, I know you would do as you are told, and remain still for me. Your hands stay behind your back even when I don’t bind them. I always knew you could break out of your bonds if you wanted to, and now that you follow my orders even when you aren’t tied up, I know that you never would have tried to break out.”

She does not say anything in response to him, only maintaining eye contact, and his smirk spreads into a smile, to praise her. When Byleth is like this, she is perfectly obedient, sometimes sensing what he wants before he even has to say it. She does not look up unless made to, and does not speak unless he insists that she does, and she never moves out of the positions that he wants her in, even though he no longer uses rope to keep her in place.

He moves his hand then, standing up straight so that he push his cock to her lips, letting her know what he wants her to do without saying it. Byleth wraps her lips around it, and Hubert lets out a deep breath he had not realized he’d been holding. Groaning as he relaxes into it, he lets her take the lead for a moment, letting her simply pleasure him, drawing him deeper into her mouth.

It would be easy enough just to let her take care of things entirely, and he is tempted, as he rests a hand on the back of her head. But he knows that she will be far more satisfied if he takes matters into his own hands, and so he only lets himself relax for a moment, while she does all the work. Yes, it would definitely be easy to just leave everything to her while she uses her mouth to pleasure him, always knowing just what he needs, and never letting up until he is already at his limit, and already completely lost to pleasure.

But they both like it even more when he grabs hold of the back of her head, suddenly rough in his treatment, and she moans as he holds her in place, groaning and pushing into her mouth, no longer allowing Byleth to set the pace for herself. She likes it better this way, and loves the way he begins to jerk his hips into her mouth, fucking her face without hesitation, until she can just barely handle it, and just barely keep from gagging on his cock.

When they were still figuring things out, he did not know how to keep her from gagging, and she struggled to take him all at once, but now, that is no issue for either of them. And it would be so easy to finish himself off like this, and he doubts that Byleth would voice any complaint, even if she were not playing her part, even if she were speaking freely. Even so, he decides against that just the same as he decided against letting her take care of everything for him, no matter how easy that may have been.

Hubert pulls back so that he can fuck her properly then, pulling her up from where she kneels and pinning her against the wall, where he is able to have his way with her.

~X~

When Byleth is on top, and Hubert is made to lay still and let her take what she wants from him, there is an almost cold look in her eyes, like what he is used to from her days as his mysterious new professor. She has an air about her now like what she did back then, and he is impressed that she is able to turn it on and off so seamlessly, switching back to the way she was before whenever it best suits her needs. Or, rather, his needs, that she tends to very well.

When he is in one of those moods, she can often sense it, getting into character before he even needs to ask, taking control and bossing him around, letting him know whatever he needs to do to keep her happy in that moment. Hubert always willingly follows along, whether it be letting her ride him and use him like this, or letting her sit on his face and take advantage of his vulnerability to her, or proving that, like her, he has no need to be tied up, because his body will obey her every command, no matter what.

Even so, she likes to bring rope into it sometimes, and he is always excited about that part.

There is no rope tonight, but his arms are to remain at his sides as he lays flat, not allowed to do anything but take it, and from time to time, she will slow down just to torment him, and leave him stiff and agonized beneath her, knowing that he can’t do anything to claim pleasure for himself. Hubert loves every second of it, groaning and whimpering, half-tempted to beg her for more, but he has a feeling that if he were to do that, she might stop entirely, just to see how long it would take him to crack.

Byleth could torture and torment him so easily like this, and he would love it either way, but decides to play things safe today, doing just as she tells him, without being bold enough to beg for more. If this is about her, then he should be content with whatever she does to him, and be grateful that he is given any pleasure at all, while wanting only to ensure that she gets what she needs.

Slowly but surely, she rises and falls on his cock, leaving his panting and desperate, and every time she moans for him, it gives him such a thrill that he can hardly contain himself. She remains steady on top of him, not needing him to hold onto her hips like he normally would whenever he had her ride him, bouncing on top of him with confidence, even as she begins to pick up the pace.

He could cry from how good it feels as she begins to lose herself in it, no longer able to tease him as she focuses on taking what it is that she really wants. She rides him in earnest now, using him for all that he is worth, working herself into a frenzy as she does so, until she is panting and crying out, his name on her lips every time. He is so weak now, barely able to wait for permission, though he knows that he must outlast her, no matter what. Even if he falters before she says that he can come, he can never finish before her, and prides himself on his restraint even in moments like these.

It is so difficult, even so, to hold back as she cries out out last with her climax, left to catch her breath on top of him while he remains rigid beneath her, fighting against his every impulse until she looks down him and finally, breathlessly says, “You’ve done a good job, go right ahead.”

~X~

In the open, they are the same with each other as they have always been, and focus only on their work. They do nothing physical to show how close they are, because the two of them more than take care of all of that when they are alone each night, keeping it as a part of their routine.


	10. Chapter 10

Living in peace is such a strange feeling for the two of them, who previously only found their peace alone with each other, but when they can join the rest of the continent in no longer being at war, Hubert and Byleth can also finally announce their engagement. Surprisingly, it does not come as a surprise to many people, and most of his former classmates claim to have seen this coming for years, which he thinks is pretty odd, since he sure as hell didn’t see it coming all the way back then.

But that does not matter, because at the core of it all, they are saying that they are happy for the two of them, and that they make a good couple, that they are going to be very happy together. Hubert already knew that part, but he appreciates the well-wishers all the same.

As per his and his bride’s request, the wedding is a small and private affair, rather than the massive ceremony that might be expected of two people so close to the emperor. Neither he nor Byleth have ever been much for show, after all, and without family to invite, the only people they want there are those who have fought by their sides. Really, if it were just the two of them with Edelgard watching over them, he would be content, but at the same time, over the years, he has grown to appreciate everyone who has been a part of his life, and he realizes now that it would not be quite the same without them.

His friends and classmates, his bride’s friends and students. They have all been through so much together, and some of them have already gotten married themselves, not wanting to wait, or not having the chance to wait, until a decent time after the war. In a way, it feels like Byleth and Hubert took things significantly slower than everyone else, but considering their personalities, that does not seem all that unusual either way. And, in the end, as long as they are happy, who could complain?

The private ceremony does not last long, nor does the celebration afterwards, though that is due to the newlyweds giving everyone the slip before things are over and done with, though that does not come as much of a surprise. The two of them are eager to spend time alone together now, and anyone would be able to tell. It is honestly better for them that they got away when they did, because the remarks about the wedding night would have surely embarrassed them both.

~X~

Fortunately, the two of them are already long gone before comments like that begin, back to their own room, previously only Hubert’s, so Byleth has spent a fair amount of time here. His family has no land, and she comes from nothing, but living in the palace, where they can continue to serve the emperor, suits them both much better than having an estate to return to, so both are happy with this.

They live here together now, and tomorrow she will finish moving her few possessions here, freeing up the room that she has been staying in since relocating from the monastery. Now, they will not have to be cautious about going to see one another at night, because they will not have to visit each other, and they will be expected to return to the same room each night. They have felt almost like a married couple for a long time, but now that it is official, they can already feel the difference.

“So, now that we’re married, I suppose we can finally-”

“Please don’t finish that sentence,” Byleth interrupts, a hint of a smile on her face. “Joking like that isn’t like you.”

“I thought it might be more fitting, considering the light mood,” Hubert replies with a smirk. “And it is rather funny, in a way. Tonight should have been out first time, but since you were so impatient, things escalated a lot more quickly than that.”

“Just me? The way I remember it, you were just as needy as I was,” Byleth retorts, not missing a beat. “In fact, after a while, you were practically begging me to tie you up and have my way with you.”

“Not until after  _ you _ wanted me to tie you up and have  _ my _ way with you,” he replies, just as quick thinking as she is. “Don’t tell me that you’ve already forgotten that part. I know that I certainly never could.”

At this point, she knows that she has no argument, and hesitates for a moment, trying to think of anything that she can say to refute him. But she soon gives up, and instead pulls her husband into a kiss, her arms thrown around his neck. Hubert eagerly returns the kiss, more than happy to put their fake argument on hold to do what they have actually come here to do, the reason behind the two of them slipping out of their own party too quickly.

Both were impatient, both were made to stand too close throughout the day, and that left them tempted and needy. The excitement in the air only fueled the excitement between the two of them, until there was no way that they could continue hanging around their friends and pretending as if everything were normal, as if they weren’t dying to escape to their room and rip the clothes from the other.

Needless to say, that part does not take long to happen, and before long, they have to pull out of their kiss, stripping the other down, neither wanting to wait even a second longer. He has her on his bed soon, without either of them having to discuss what they want to do, or how they want to do things. Tonight is all about taking things as they come, giving into their desire as if this wedding night really is their first time together, as if they have been waiting forever for this.

Byleth is on her back, her arms wrapped around Hubert’s neck, her nails digging into his skin as she drags them down, and down his back. He groans as she scratches at him, and leans down to nip at her neck, earning a whimper from her. She pulls herself up so that she can press her body against his, teasing and taunting him with her touch, with the warmth radiating off of her, and she must be able to feel by now just how badly he already wants her, and if she only glanced, she would easily be able to see. But her face is nuzzled against his neck, taking in his scent as she grinds against him, frantic and desperate, and her energy is contagious.

It is far from their first time, and yet it is hard not to get swept up in the excitement as if it is, the two of them more needy than they have ever been before, so caught up in one another that there is nothing else they can think about, nothing else for them but each other. It seems like a lifetime ago that either of them were so unsure of themselves and their feelings. Now, everything fits just like it should, and things could not be any more natural between the two of them.

Hubert pushes her back down, flat on her back, and pins her hands above her head, while he nips at her neck, making her squirm in her anticipation, gasping out his name. It seems like a lifetime ago that a relationship with Byleth seemed like an unattainable dream, seemed like the most unrealistic of fantasies, and yet he has her now, and she is his wife. The two of them have become inseparable, and have grown so used to their closeness that it is almost hard to remember the time before they were together, or to remember what it is like to not have Byleth at his side every night, to think that he would always spend his life alone, in service to the emperor but with no one to call his own.

At one point in time, he thought a solitary life would be just fine, and now, he can’t imagine having to spend the rest of his days without the woman he loves. So much has changed, and over such a short amount of time that feels like a century, at least, rather than the year- has it been a year already?- that they have spent together. Now, Byleth writhes beneath him, impatient and needy, and Hubert bites along her neck, teasing her with his cock, rubbing against her, but not quite pushing inside of her, not yet.

“Come on,” she whines, after a moment. He is only used to hearing such emotion in her voice when they are fucking; otherwise, she remains the same as she always has. Only like this, in their most intimate moments, does she show him a side that no one else will ever get to see. “You’re really going to keep me waiting right now?”

“Do you have a problem with that?” he asks. “I thought you were trying to prove that you  _ weren’t _ needy.”

“That conversation is long over. If you keep teasing me, you know I’m going to get you back for this later.”

“I’m counting on that, of course,” he replies. “I’m surprised you haven’t figured that out already.”

“If you want that so badly, then get off of me and let me give it to you.”

“And give up what I’ve already won? Never.”

With that, he finally pushes inside of her, giving her what she wants, and so suddenly that she can only let out a sharp cry, losing her ability to think clearly in the moment. As for Hubert, he groans with relief, sinking down into her, glad to at least be done tormenting himself. There will be plenty of torment at her hands in the days to come, with the time that they will have off to celebrate their marriage. They were given the option to travel, but with nowhere they want to go, they are more than happy to spend their time locked away together, and fucking as much as possible.

He lets go of her hands, and she wraps them around him again, digging her nails into his skin like before, dragging them down his back and leaving him moaning for her. She arches her back as he begins to thrust into her, soon falling into a desperate rhythm, no longer keeping up the front of trying to dominate her or tease her anymore. Right now, he belongs to her just as much as she belongs to him.

Her voice breaks as she calls out his name, and he calls out for her as well, barely registering his own voice anymore. It is far from their first time, but with the way that they go at it, with the excitement of their marriage, it is just as good and just as memorable. Their wedding night does not lose any of its significance just because they have not been able to keep their hands off of each other for a very long time.

When she comes, she clings to him, dragging her nails down his back, and Hubert is not far behind her, pushed over the edge by her passion. Everything fades away for the moment, leaving the two of them to catch their breath, relaxing into their ecstasy. The night is still young, and they have a few more days where they have nothing else on their agenda, so they will rest up for a little while, and then they will be back at it again.

It seems like a lifetime ago, and yet it seems hard to believe that it has only been around a year since their dangerous mission, where they were taken captive and Hubert found himself admitting his feelings, only to discover that they were not nearly as unrequited as he thought. It feels like a lifetime since then, but they still have a lifetime together, a lifetime that he knows will be spent with Byleth at his side.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're interested in my writing updates, please follow my fanfiction twitter @WattStalf  
> 


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